Sam's Greatest Fear
by mckenna4
Summary: Sam has to face his worst fear when Callen is gunned down. My entry for Callen's Corner Challenge #4. Based off the events of "Legend: Part 2". My first story, please see author's note, read and review!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: _Hello! Glad you found my story! This is my first attempt at writing, so please be kind and leave a review! Advice is greatly welcomed. I have many original ideas, but want to start off by basing my first story on an episode to warm up and learn as much as I can. If you want to know more about what I will be writing and so on, please see my profile. This story is based on the events of "Legend: Part 2" which is one of my favorite scenes and I felt it deserved more elaboration, so I chose to start off here. This will be around 3 chapters. No pairings, just friendship. Please review!_

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Sam's Greatest Fear

"_You know what scares me most? Losing my partner"~ Sam _

Sam watched his partner stroll down the sidewalk toward his apartment. The afternoon sun cast a bright glow over the streets of Venice. As always, Callen was considering moving again, but his reason this time was more concerning than usual. Sam wondered if he should worry that someone might be watching Callen, but he just decided to shrug it off. It was a beautiful afternoon, they had successfully solved their case, and Gibbs and McGee had just left Los Angeles. The sunlight illuminated the beach, reflecting off the water as the strange people of Venice went about their business. Nothing could ruin this perfect atmosphere. After all, he thought, his partner did tend to be a little paranoid.

Deciding to head home, Sam started his vehicle and began to pull out onto the street, but out of nowhere a van coming from his left cut him off.

"Crazy son of a", Sam began to spill from his lips, having a few choice words for the driver. However, he stopped himself short when he spotted a man peering out of the van's sliding door, wielding an automatic weapon. Sam's years of training kicked in once he recognized the threat and he threw open the door, immediately thinking of the safety of his unaware partner whom the van was speeding towards. "G!" Sam shouted. He sprinted down the road in the glowing sunlight, desperate to warn his best friend.

But he was too late.

Bullets ripped through his partner as he covered the last few yards separating them. The van had reached Callen first and opened fire on the oblivious agent. Sam returned fire with a couple of rounds, but the van was already too far down the road for it to make a difference. Catching the shooters was a lost cause at the moment. His only concern was saving the man who was like a brother to him, who allowed himself to trust him, and who now was depending on him to save his life.

Sam reached down toward Callen, picking his partner off the offending concrete. "Come on G, come on G", Sam pleaded as he tried to stay calm. "Stay with me".

He knew he needed to focus and act fast for Callen to be able to stay alive. Sam pulled his phone out of his pocket as he cradled his dying partner in his arms. Callen was struggling to breathe and stay awake, afraid if he gave in he would never open his eyes again. His blood seeped through the fresh holes in his body, staining his crisp, white shirt a startling color it should not be and tainting Sam's clothes and hands at an alarming rate. Sam dialed a three-digit number and placed the phone next to his ear.

"Stay with me G, don't do this to me, come on!" Sam grew increasingly worried that his worst fear would become his reality. His grasp on his ability to reign in his emotions during stressful and dangerous situations began to slip away as his partner started to do the same. _Snap out of it_, he scolded himself, _he's still here and he needs you to concentrate. _

He gained some composure as his call connected, requesting some rescue. "Yeah, I need an ambulance. Ocean Front road, Venice."

While waiting for a response from the 911 operator, he witnessed Callen's eyelids closing, and immediately his fear of losing his partner was at the forefront of his mind. As Callen lost consciousness, his last clear thought was that after living his whole life alone, at least he would die with his partner, the only person he ever allowed himself to get close to, next to him.

"Stay with me. Stay with me." Sam pleaded to Callen, listening to the operator inform him that an ambulance was three minutes away. "Come on buddy." He ended the call and put his phone away. His partner now was no longer conscious. As Sam silently prayed that the worst hadn't happened, he reached toward Callen's neck to check for a pulse, releasing his breath when he found it to be fast and erratic, but nevertheless beating. Sam worked fast to minimize the damage, applying pressure on the worst bullet hole. His friend was losing too much blood and a sickening puddle had formed beneath his body. Sirens pierced the air from a distance while a crowd began to gather, witnessing the despair that Sam felt consume him. Callen's face was visibly pale as the sun's powerful light accented the ugly red beginning to surround him. Sam couldn't lose his partner, he just couldn't.

Someone startled him from behind and he turned around, keen to protect his helpless partner, when he realized it was the paramedics. Sam gave them some room while they stabilized Callen for transport. He watched them work and felt useless to do anything to help. Once they loaded Callen into the ambulance, Sam joined them, leaving no arguments open about him riding along.

* * *

On the way to the hospital, Callen flat-lined. Sam felt as if the same had happened to him. The paramedics furiously tried to bring Callen back, all while Sam shouted and pleaded his friend to fight.

"Clear!" the paramedics yelled once again after two unsuccessful tries. When Sam was about to lose hope, another shock rewarded them all with a heartbeat from the monitor. Glad that Callen still proved to be as stubborn as he is paranoid, Sam relaxed a fraction and watched for any signs of trouble as they pulled up to the hospital and rushed Callen to emergency.

**xmckenna4x**

**TBC, Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here is the next chapter. It's a little long, but I actually split chapter 2 in half so it wouldn't be even longer. Hopefully next chapter will be up within the next couple of days. Wanted this posted earlier but was on vacation this past weekend. Anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer:I don't own NCIS:LA! Oh, but how I so wish I did.

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Sam hated waiting rooms. They were decorated horrifically, had uncomfortable chairs, and always were a harbinger of a loved one's life at risk. Sam also hated hospitals, but here he was, finding himself in yet another waiting room of a hospital, anxiously awaiting news on a man who got injured so often that many of the nurses recognized him while he sat in his usual chair.

After informing the rest of the team of what happened, he paced for an hour with no update from the doctor. Sam decided to use the time to wash the blood off his hands, so he headed to the bathroom. Looking through the mirror, Sam was shocked to see so much blood all over him. His gray jacket was now splattered with burgundy stains and his pants were even worse. He had to admit that he looked exhausted and definitely worse for the wear. Dark circles accompanied tired eyes. Despite his appearance, the agent wouldn't and couldn't rest until he knew Callen would be okay. Sam turned on the sink and began to scrub his blood-coated hands clean. When he had scrubbed so hard that his skin came off, he dried his hands and returned to the waiting room, satisfied his appearance couldn't be further improved.

Upon entering, he was met with familiar faces reflecting his own emotions. Kensi, Eric, and Nate had just arrived to the hospital. As Sam made his way toward them, he could tell how hard the news hit his younger co-workers. Kensi had been crying, Eric also had red, watery eyes, and Nate appeared very melancholy and withdrawn. Kensi met Sam halfway across the room and wrapped her arms around him. She knew that if the news had been this hard for her, Sam would be feeling ten times worse, especially when Callen was gunned down right in front of him. She wanted to comfort her friend and receive some as well. Sam returned the hug, trying to be the strong agent he was for Kensi. He would never openly admit it, but he desperately needed the comfort she gave him. When they released the hug, Kensi asked, "Has there been any updates on his condition?"

"Nothing since we arrived and he was taken to surgery." Sam replied, disappointment and worry evident in his eyes, "It was bad. He's lost too much blood." He looked down once more at his tainted clothes and yet again grew helpless. He was considered the optimist of the two partners, but how could he find something to be positive about when his best friend was hanging onto his life by a mere thread?

"I think we should sit down. It looks like it'll be a long night" Nate declared, leading the more distraught members of the team to some chairs. He was struggling with the news of the drive-by as much as the others, but he kept his emotions at bay to help his friends that now needed it. After all, it is his expertise.

Night had settled in as they waited silently for any news on the condition of their agent. Sam paced back and forth, Kensi was leaned forwards with her head in her hands and hair covering her face, and Eric sat looking downwards and off into space, lost in his thoughts. Nate observed everyone periodically to prevent his mind from wandering towards darker thoughts. He tried to talk to each team member, but he quickly judged nothing he could do right now could ease their minds. He would have to get them to talk to him later.

As the clock neared 10:00pm, a doctor in green scrubs came through the doors. Sam immediately noted the scrubs had identical stains that his pants had. This thought sickened him as the doctor approached them. "Family of G. Callen?" she asked.

"We're his family." Sam announced with conviction. "How is he?" Sam was eager to know anything about his friend after waiting for many hours.

"I must say, I'm surprised he's even still alive" she admitted, "He was shot five times, all through-and-through. He needed a blood transfusion and as you know it took four hours to repair the damage done to his body and stitch the wounds up. He coded during the surgery, but luckily we revived him. It is incredible that he even survived the surgery. I can tell you this right now, he's a fighter."

"We know, will he be okay though?" Sam replied.

"The next twelve hours are crucial. If you hadn't acted fast, he would've bled out before he got to the hospital. He's not out of the woods yet, but if he makes it through the night, his chances dramatically increase. He is stable and in a medically induced coma right now and will be for the next few days. He is being settled into a room in ICU as we speak. I can show you the way there."

"Thank you." Kensi replied.

When they all arrived at the ICU, Callen was already settled into his room, and the doctor left back to her station. The OSP team made their way into the darkened room full of beeping and hissing noises coming from various machines, and what greeted them made Sam's blood run cold. Laying in the bed was a man who held no resemblance to his partner. He looked more like a shadow of his former self. Callen's face was pale and sunken, and his body looked so frail and still compared to the strong active agent he had been in the beginning of this same day. Blood soaked bandages covered his torso while he lay amidst a mountain of pillows. As Sam studied the injured agent, he couldn't help but feel responsible for this. Callen had spent his whole life relying on himself and his instincts. He had tons of enemies, When he shared his suspicions before the shooting, Sam should've listened to Callen, but Sam didn't trust his instincts and just brushed the comment away with a joke. He could've stopped Callen from being shot, and this had been eating Sam up all night. If only he had listened.

Sam and Kensi stepped through the threshold first and took the two chairs on Callen's right. Eric and Nate followed, stopping at the foot of the bed. They all remained silent as they took in the appearance of their leader and the reality of the shooting. The three younger team members almost couldn't believe what had happened when they got the call from Sam. They just couldn't imagine the legendary agent being nearly at death's door. Callen acted like he was Superman, and on many occasions could be easily compared to him. The man lying in front of them was such the opposite that it broke all of their hearts to see him this way.

After several minutes of observing the various machines help keep Callen alive, Nate broke the silence.

"It's getting late, we all need to eat and try to get some rest tonight."

"I'm not leaving G like this. What if while we're gone he-" Sam cut himself off when he choked on the words that he was so afraid of. The doctor informed them earlier that the tables could turn either way in the next twelve hours. That wasn't exactly reassuring.

"Sam, I know this is extremely difficult, but he will need our help to get through this, and we won't be of any use if we don't even take care of ourselves."

"Okay, but we at least need to have someone with him at all times. What if the shooters come back to finish the job? And we will need to be updated on his condition as well."

"Sam's right." Eric croaked.

"Who wants to take first watch?" Kensi asked, the natural agent in her taking over.

"I am." Sam declared, leaving no hesitation or indication that it was open to objections.

"Alright, I will relieve you in the morning." Kensi offered.

Sam nodded, although he knew he would not leave the hospital and definitely not his partner's side. As the team said good night to Sam, they each visited Callen's side one last time, praying that he would be there in the morning. "Come on Callen, I know you can make it", Eric said with a tear in his eyes.

"Please hold on, this team would fall apart without you", followed Nate. Kensi walked up to her leader, the agent she desired to one day emulate, and whispered,

"Come on, fight Callen. Don't you dare leave us. Whose favorite agent will I be if you don't listen?" She gently leaned over and kissed his forehead while squeezing his hand. "Please stay."

The junior agent's actions affected the others in the room, showing just how important he is to them and the family he'd made in his team. Once the three teammates left the room, Sam brought one of the chairs right up next to Callen and began his vigil over the sleeping agent; for this surely would be a rough night and whether Sam liked it or not, he had to prepare himself for whatever lay ahead for his partner.

"Please G, you can't quit now. You have a team and a purpose. What about all those answers your still looking for? And you know I got us court side tickets for the Lakers game coming up soon. You're not going to make me go alone, are you? Are you?" Desperation crept into his voice, but he was met with silence. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if Callen didn't make it. "Come on G. I need my partner. I need my annoying, infuriating, mind-numbing partner by my side. You're my brother. I can't lose you."

As Sam became lost in his thoughts, he stared off into the darkness of the room, praying this nightmare would be over soon.

**xmckenna4x**

**TBC, Please Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Here is the next chapter. There will be one or two more after this one and I'm almost done writing them.

A huge thank you to each reviewer who left their thoughts on this story so far and those of you who favorited or followed. Did not expect such kind reviews on my first story and they truly made me so much happier, I can't thank you enough.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS:LA or anything related to it.

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At two in the morning, a code blue woke Sam up from his dozing. As soon as he realized what was happening, the night-shift nurses rushed into the room, prepping the defibrillation pads. G had gone into cardiac arrest. Sam knew this could've happened, but he still was shocked that it did.

"Charge to 200, Clear!" one nurse yelled, the remaining nurses returning the phrase. A shock jolted Callen's body, but yet again, he was slipping away. Another nurse who was performing CPR between the shocks stopped for another. "Charge to 300, clear!" Again, no change.

"Should we try 360?" another asked. The first nurse doubted it could work, but she knew this patient had already proven many wrong. "Yes." she answered, "This patients a fighter. We can't give up yet either."

"Clear!" she yelled, and for a second, Sam couldn't breathe as Callen didn't respond to the shocks. As he observed from the other end of the room, he kept thinking that this couldn't be happening. He had failed him.

Suddenly, a clear heartbeat echoed in the room, followed by another and another, forming a steady pace. The medical staff as well as Sam were stunned. The nurses quickly worked to stabilize Callen while his doctor checked his vitals. When they were satisfied with their findings, they quietly filed out of the room. The doctor stopped at the door and addressed Sam. "Your friend is strong, he has made it this far against all odds."

"Thank you, doctor, for everything", the shell shocked agent replied. The doctor closed the door, leaving Sam alone to reclaim the chair he vacated minutes before to give the nurses room to work. Sam drew his attention back to his unconscious friend. "You scared me there, partner. Don't do that again." Sam was met with the same vacant, pale face of the injured man. "Come on G. You gotta make it through the night", Sam whispered as much to himself as to the other agent, "Do it for me."

Hours of stress had taken its toll on the former Navy SEAL, and he shifted in the uncomfortable chair to prepare for the next several crucial hours. Sam tried to fight being tired so he could watch over Callen, but exhaustion took over and sleep claimed him. His last thought as the beeping from the machines surrounding Callen became dull and drowned out was that he just hoped they would make it through the night.

* * *

Kensi had barely gotten any sleep last night, worried she would get the dreaded call from Sam, so she got an early start the next morning and stopped to get coffee and breakfast for herself and Sam. She bought Sam a bran muffin, guessing he wouldn't favor her love of doughnuts. By the time Kensi made it to the hospital to visit Callen, the clock was nearing 9:30. When she walked into the hospital room, the sight she was met with was actually caused a small smile to form on her face despite the reason she was there. A large form was asleep in the chair next to Callen's bed, head resting on his partner's mattress. It looked as if he hadn't left the chair all night.

She quietly walked toward the other chair and placed the food on the table between it and the chair taken by Sam. She glanced at her still sound asleep teammate before walking to Callen's side and grasping his hand in hers. His hand was cold and clammy, but she was relieved to see he was still with them.

"Good morning Callen", she whispered, "I'm glad you made it through the night." Kensi was overcome with worry when she saw him last, and the fact that he was almost past the twelve hour window fueled her with hope despite the lack of change from her team leader. She observed his sleeping form, noticing how pale his skin was and it already looked like he lost some weight. His chest was adorned with fresh bandages and she assumed the nurses had changed them during the night.

After several quiet moments taking in the agent's appearance before her, she noticed Sam start to stir, probably awakened by the aroma of the coffee she brought for him.

Sam woke up to a fresh, hot drink, a bran muffin, and Kensi holding his partner's limp hand in hers. "What time is it?" Sam mumbled, rubbing the tiredness out of his eyes.

"Well good morning to you too" Kensi responded, "It is almost 10:00. Glad you got some sleep sitting in that thing all night." Despite seeing Sam out when she arrived, from what she could see as he stood up and stretched his stiffened form he was still exhausted and he looked like he had a rough night. This was why she was attempting to engage her teammate in conversation, to lighten his mood and get his mind off of things for a moment.

"I only got a few hours, was mostly too distracted to fall asleep." Sam confessed. Kensi noticed a distant, defeated look in his eyes. She wondered if anything worse happened during the night for him to ignore her opportunity at a distraction. Kensi also witnessed his demeanor change from mostly relaxed to tense and nervous, usually undetectable in seasoned undercover agents.

"Sam," Kensi prompted calmly and quietly, releasing Callen's hand and making her way around the bed toward Sam, "What happened?"

Sam heaved a deep sigh, taking a seat while Kensi followed suit. After several moments of silence, he began. "Around one in the morning, Callen had a cardiac arrest. The nurses kept shocking him, but they couldn't get a regular heartbeat. When they were about to call it," Sam paused, needing to compose himself before continuing, "His heart finally started to beat normally. We were so close to losing him, Kensi, I just don't know what I would've done if he died last night, if he didn't keep fighting." Kensi looked Sam in the eyes and found red, wet-rimmed eyes staring back at her, boring into her soul. In those dark brown eyes, she saw everything he didn't say.

"But he did, Sam, he did keep fighting. You just be ready to help him get through this when he wakes up." Sam nodded at Kensi's words, trying to gain some confidence from them. Suddenly, the hospital room door opened and in walked Callen's doctor. She was a young, beautiful women in her twenties and long, brown hair tied nicely up and out of her face. Her green scrubs complimented her green eyes. Sam recognized her as the doctor they spoke to briefly the previous night. The doctor walked in when she saw that her patient had visitors and knew they would ask about Callen's condition right away from seeing how close these people were the night before.

"Hello", she greeted, "I'm Doctor Rogers and I will be G. Callen's doctor for the day shift, but you can call me Elise. Doctor Williams is covering the night shift. I believe we met briefly last night?"

"Yeah", Sam and Kensi stood to introduce themselves, "I'm Sam and this is Kensi, we are friends of Callen."

"I wish we were meeting under better circumstances. Let me complete my assessment of our patient, then I can give you an update."

"Thank you." Kensi replied. After waiting for a few minutes while the doctor checked the machines, examined the bandages and wires consuming Callen's body, and writing notes on a chart, the doctor started her brief analysis of his condition.

"It seems as if Callen has passed the 12-hour critical window, which is definitely reassuring. Thankfully no bullets damaged his lungs. We will keep his ventilator and breathing tube in until he is strong enough to breathe on his own. The shots in his chest and lower left abdomen are the most damaging and the other three are around his shoulders and arms. Our patient seems to be pulling through, however he is still very critical. It now becomes a waiting game while he comes out of the medically induced coma and his body tries to heal. We will slowly bring him out over the next several days, however it is risky to give him pain medication while he is out and it could do more harm than good. We won't know how much pain he is feeling until he wakes up, but it is safe to bet he will be in a lot of it."

"Thank you, Elise, we really appreciate it." Sam said sincerely.

"May I ask how this happened? I just can't imagine someone wanting to do this to another person."

"We suspect he was targeted. I can't tell you much or who we work for, but we are in law enforcement. He's our team leader and my partner." Sam confided in her.

"Thank you for telling me. Did you catch whoever did this?"

"No. They got away, but we will. That's why it is important that one of us is with him at all times. The shooters could come back to finish the job."

"I understand, and I do hope you catch whoever did this." The young doctor became passionate in her response. The agents could tell she loved to help people and loved her job. They admired that in the person in charge of taking care of Callen.

After a short pause, she continued. "Well I will be back to check on him later. Press the call button if you need anything." With that, Elise left.

Once the agents were alone, Kensi told Sam to go home, rest, and take a shower. He was still hesitant to leave Callen, but Kensi promised to call if anything changed and to stay by their leader's side in-case any of Callen's enemies walked through the door. Sam finally left Kensi and she was alone with Callen for the first time since he was shot. Kensi had put on a brave face for Sam, but she was truly afraid they would lose Callen, and she knew Sam felt the same.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hello! Here's chapter 4. Finally Callen is awake! There will be one more chapter after this as an epilogue. This chapter was way longer than I expected and went in directions I didn't expect, but it was the most fun to write and I'm proud of this one. :) Enjoy!

Thank you to each and every one of you who followed, favorited, or reviewed. I really appreciate it!

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Minutes turned to hours, and hours into days, and Callen still wasn't awake. The whole team had rotated staying with Callen, including an extra agent to protect Callen when Nate or Eric were with him, but Sam stayed the most out of all of them put together. Sam began to feel stiff and sore being in the same chair for so long, but he didn't want Callen to wake up without him being there. He also wanted to reassure himself that his partner could pull through.

Finally, five days after being gunned down in the streets of Venice, Elise informed Sam that Callen would be waking up in the next few hours. He kept his vigil over the agent, as if willing him to wake up. Sam had been exhausted over the past few days spent at the hospital; between not being able to get any rest and only eating when Elsie convinced him to.

So Sam sat in Callen's room, watching for any signs of Callen returning to the land of the living. As he let his mind wander in the silence, his eyes rested on Callen's right hand. Once that hand finally twitched and broke his trance, he pushed his thoughts to the back of his mind, for what he had been praying for to happen finally had come. Same drew his eyes towards his partner's closed eyelids, noticing how there was movement happening underneath. Callen's eyes squinted in pain as he started to wake.

"Come on G, wake up." Sam encouraged, "You can do it, open your eyes."

Callen started to gain consciousness, and the pain he began to notice threatened him to retreat back into oblivion, but then he heard a familiar voice and the words spoken gave him resolve to fight the pain and finally wake up.

Sam watched as Callen's eyelids squinted again before they fluttered open, revealing a startling blue underneath. As Sam witnessed his partner finally show signs of life after several days of nothing, he felt relieved and elated that his friend made it through, that despite what had happened, his friend would be sticking around.

"Hey, partner. Welcome back." Sam greeted, a small smile concealing most of Sam's emotions.

Blue eyes wandered the room, searching for the source of the familiar voice, until he met Sam's eyes and he knew who had been by his side while he was out.

"It's good to be back." Callen rasped, his throat being dry and scratchy from the lack of use. "Glad I wasn't out any longer. You look like crap."

"Better than you", Sam returned, "I wasn't the one who was shot five times."

"Well, we can trade spots if you want."

"Huh, yeah. Good luck with that. You'd still manage to get yourself into trouble."

"Hey, I don't always get myself into trouble. That would be you." Callen countered, feigning hurt.

"Sure" Sam humored, shaking his head while a small smile formed. He was glad to see his partner was still his old self. "How do you feel?" Sam prompted, amusement replaced with concern almost instantly.

Callen grimaced as he tried and failed to sit up, deciding to settle with staying laid down. "Other than feeling like I was trampled by an elephant? Fantastic."

Sam saw through the humor and sarcasm, knowing that his partner was in a lot of pain and struggling to conceal it. A small layer of sweat covered Callen's forehead and he drew in short breaths. His tired eyes veiled the pain as best as he could. Sam knew his partner well enough to know that Callen hated to show pain or weakness. In the field it could give the enemy the upper hand. His admission to being in pain showed just how much damage the bullets did on his body.

"Hold on, I'll call the nurse to give you some pain medication. And don't you start," Sam scolded as Callen was a second away from protest, "I know you're in a lot of pain, you don't have to hide it from me G, I'm your partner. Anyone would be lying if they said they weren't in pain from five gunshots." Callen looked ready to argue with a smart response, but the determined look on Sam's face told him he would be better off if he listened for once. Instead, Callen agreed and kept his mouth shut. "Good" mused Sam. Callen returned with an annoyed look as a nurse walked through the door.

"Great to see your awake." The nurse commented, seeing as how the patient who only days ago was at death's door was now awake.

"Nurse, he needs some pain medication, although he would never admit it." Callen tried one last attempt by sending a scowl toward Sam. Sam returned with a look saying, _it's for your own good_.

The nurse noticed the exchange, surprised at her odd patient. "Alright, well now that you are awake we can administer the proper drugs. We'll start with a dose of morphine."

"No" Callen firmly stated, surprising the nurse. He looked at Sam, conveying his hesitations and concerns all with intent.

"Nurse, he doesn't like medication that makes him lose consciousness or control. Is it possible to give him medication without those side effects?"

"Oh," the nurse responded, "Yes, of course. I just need to talk with the doctor shortly and I'll return with the medication."

"Thank you." Callen rasped, still tired and worn out from all the stress on his body.

While the nurse was away, Sam thought about why Callen always refused the morphine. He knew Callen hated to lose control, but he didn't exactly know any details. All he knew of his partner's past was he didn't know his family or name, he grew up in foster care, and now he moves apartments a lot. His partner of two years probably just wanted to be able to be alert if an enemy decided to grace him with a visit, even though he was too weak to fight off a two-year old. After all, the attackers were still out there. Sam wondered though, did Callen not trust him to watch his back? Did he blame him for getting shot and not warning him in time? These thoughts threatened to overwhelm Sam with guilt, but he thought they had learned to trust each other over the past couple of years. Maybe he was wrong, maybe his partner was still the same person he met who didn't trust anyone. He discreetly glanced toward Callen, but as always he couldn't decipher Callen's motives for his request.

The nurse returned with different medication, and while Callen still fought to keep himself awake, he was too exhausted to keep his eyes open. Sam told him to get some rest and Callen relented, letting sleep take him.

* * *

The next time Callen woke, he was more alert and in less pain now that he (reluctantly) was receiving medication. He surveyed his room, assuming it was now late in the evening since the lights were low and no light shone through the window. His partner still sat in the same chair, slouched down and asleep against its back.

Callen didn't quite understand why Sam would waste so much time just sitting by him, but he was grateful for it and that someone actually cared about him. He never had known what it was like to have that as he grew up and went through his career. Since he joined NCIS, he had slowly allowed himself to open up to the team he began to know. They taught him that he could learn to trust and proved that he could put his faith in them. This time, Sam was the one to show him that. He was only further proven that some people were worth trusting.

Callen tried to adjust his position without pulling at his bandages, a small grunt escaping before he got a hold of the pain in his chest from moving around. Proud of himself that he could get into a sitting position, he took a few moments to rest from the exertion, breathing heavily. _Great_, he thought, _if it's this hard to just sit up, it'll be ages before I can get out of here, let alone go back to work. _

Apparently, he was making a lot of noise, because at that moment Sam decided to wake up. He straightened his back and yawned, stretching his arms.

"Hope you got enough beauty sleep there." Callen joked. Sam stopped and gave him a slightly miffed look.

Instead of returning the joke, he moved on. "You should've woken me, how long have you been up?"

"Not long, only a few minutes. So are there any new leads?"

"No. Eric has been working on it, but so far it's all dead ends. I should call the team and tell them you're awake again. They've been calling me ever since you woke up earlier. Everyone's been anxious to see you awake."

"Guess that's why you were getting your much needed beauty sleep instead."

"Clever." Sam sarcastically returned. He dialed for Eric, and after giving him an update and telling him to inform the rest of the team, he hung up. "They'll be here soon."

After a moment of silence, Sam decided to ask what has been bugging him since that morning. "Hey G, is there a reason why you refuse morphine?"

Callen, caught off guard by the question, vaguely answered. "I don't like what it does to me, you know that Sam."

"Yeah, I know that, but you never really told me _why_. You know I've got your back if the shooters come back, right? I understand if you don't trust me now, but I'd…"

"Why wouldn't I still trust you?" Callen interrupted, confused by what was said.

"Because I failed to warn you in time, I couldn't do my job right. You got shot because of me."

"Sam, I survived because of you. None of this is your fault."

"But…"

"No. There was no way you could've known. You couldn't have prevented it, but you could and did have my back. If it weren't for you, I would've died. I trust you with my life. Today was proof of that." Callen confessed.

Sam remained silent, taken aback by Callen's words. His partner never opened up or shared his thoughts. In the two years he'd known him, Callen had barely even revealed anything personal about himself. To hear this admission with the amount of conviction behind it was surprising, to say the least.

Callen decided to continue, taking another leap of faith. "The reason I don't like to lose control is because I had to look out for myself while growing up in the system."

"What was it like?" Sam asked, wishing he knew more than the bare minimum he only ever learned.

Callen looked at Sam's face and only saw a mixture of concern and understanding, no pity or judgment. He knew that he could share this with Sam. "It wasn't easy. I lived in 37 foster homes. Some were good, but most weren't. I moved around every few weeks or days. I pretty much had to learn on my own and fend for myself. Being aware of your surroundings was important, it meant everything. If I hadn't learned how to keep myself alert and adapt quickly, I probably never would've made it out." Callen paused, reflecting on his words. "I guess it just became a habit over the years. You know that I normally don't trust anyone, but you and the team have proved that maybe I don't have to believe everything I learned growing up."

Suddenly, the pieces fell in to place for Sam. The reason why Callen was reluctant to work with him at first, why Callen was constantly moving, why Callen hated to lose control. These were things the former SEAL didn't understand when he first met Callen, knowing teamwork was everything. Callen never opened up and Sam always wondered why Callen was this way. Now he knew. Growing up in the system had taught him to never trust anyone, to be constantly aware of what's around you and never let your guard down. Callen was always moving apartments because he moved around all the time growing up. He barely slept because it became second nature when he had to protect himself in the homes that were not so great. It explained his tendencies to cut himself off from people and his preference to work alone. And finally, it showed why Callen didn't open up or show emotions, until right now. He _did_ trust Sam, otherwise he never would've shared this information with him.

Sam was speechless, but he returned with a look of understanding and acceptance, showing Callen that he could be trusted with this new revelation. Callen noticed, glad to know that he had someone he could rely on and that Sam already knew he could rely on him. After two years of their partnership working but not exactly improving beyond that, they both had passed the hurdle they needed to become better partners and better agents.

Unsure of what to say now, Callen broke the silence. "Well, thank you for saving me. I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything, that's what partners do." Sam stated with real intent, knowing they had just become a stronger team. "I'm just glad you're okay." Sam was relieved that he'd survived the shooting, for until today he was afraid what scared him the most would come true. The worry and guilt left Sam's shoulders, knowing it wouldn't happen today and that Callen didn't blame him for what had happened but had thanked him for what he had done.

They let a few moments of silence pass, each processing what was said, when they heard voices and shuffling outside Callen's hospital room. They knew exactly who was here before the door opened to reveal Kensi, Nate, and Eric.

"Hey guys." Callen greeted.

"Callen!" Kensi exclaimed, rushing over and giving him a careful hug, aware of his bandages. Nate and Eric approached as well, greeting Callen with a grin and a fist bump. "I knew you'd make it!"

"Well, Kens, you'd kill me anyway if I hadn't. Couldn't upset my favorite agent, now could I?" Callen teased.

Nate, always the psychologist, asked "How are you feeling?"

"Not too bad, actually."

"Good to hear. Although you know you have a long way to go before you can go back to work."

"I figured." Callen relented.

"Hey Callen, glad to see you awake."

"Thanks, Eric." Callen smiled.

Although Callen was still worn out, he spent the rest of the evening catching up with the team, glad he had people there for him. At one point when Kensi was trying to convince Nate that they should have a movie night in the hospital the next evening and watch Titanic while Eric argued that video games would help their teammate heal better, Sam moved over to Callen.

"So we good?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, we're good." Callen grinned.

Both were glad to know their team was stronger, despite the circumstances. Callen had a long, difficult recovery ahead of him, but he knew his team would help him every step of the way. Sam was thankful that his partner finally let him in after two years. Maybe one day he would confess what his greatest fear was to Callen.

* * *

xmckenna4x

TBC, Please Review!


	5. Chapter 5-Epilogue

A/N: Well this is it, the last chapter! Wanted to finish before the new week started. A HUGE thank you to each and every one of you who read, favorited, followed, and reviewed my first story! Never expected the awesome response I received! I do have more stories coming and have tons of ideas, just be patient with me as I have some busy weeks ahead. Note: I watched and used the dialogue from the actual scenes to open and close my story for accuracy.

I decided to make this my entry for Callen's Corner Challenge #4, just for fun. Had another idea for the challenge but this is what I've got. ;)

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS:LA.

* * *

The team knew the next four months were expected to be hard for Callen, and oh how right they were. Between keeping Callen in the hospital long enough, physical therapy, and convincing him to take all of his meds, his team couldn't wait until he was fully recovered. Callen spent over two months in the hospital since that fateful day in May. Slowly, he regained his strength once he was able to start physical therapy, and eventually he was released from the hospital. Callen would've signed out and left the hospital way earlier, but he knew from experience that Sam would've literally picked him up and hauled him all the way back if he had anyway. He preferred to avoid that… _situation_ this time.

Callen regularly visited the hospital for more sessions and for his follow ups with his doctor, even if that was the last thing he wanted to do. Despite being annoyed by his partner if he hadn't, Callen's intentions all pointed towards returning to work. The better he followed the doctor's instructions, the faster he would return to the field. Callen had been bored out of his mind while his body healed. The free time he had on his hands only worsened his paranoia, and he regularly moved apartments throughout the summer; for good reason since his attackers still haven't been caught. For a couple weeks, Callen even stayed at Sam's house. Even though Callen appreciated the assistance, he really preferred his own place.

The team were there for him every step of the way during his recovery, helping through whatever new struggle came his way. They planned movie nights, game days, and later went on team outings together. They also kept him up to date on what cases came their way. Even though Callen didn't realize it, the team's support along with the progress he and Sam made while he was in the hospital allowed him to relax and enjoy being around them. Before, he appreciated and admired the team he found himself on, but remained distant and hesitant to become attached, even to the point where he would only show up right before an operation. Now, he was still distant, but he had taken that extra step toward allowing himself to consider them his family, not just the team that had slowly taught him to trust.

Finally, after four long, tedious months, Callen called his partner.

"Hey Sam."

"Hey, G. How you doing?"

"Great. You want to pick me up on the way to work?"

"What, already? You've still got another month!"

"I'm going crazy doing nothing all day, and I feel perfectly ready to come back."

"Fine, but I'm not taking the fall for you if Hetty comes after me with her letter opener because I listened to you." Sam confessed, completely serious.

"Nah, she wouldn't do that. Besides, I'm her favorite." Callen grinned.

"Yeah, you'd better hope now that Macy's reassigned and she's our boss again. Tell me again why she ever paired us up in the first place?"

"Oh come on, you know your life was boring before you met me. She probably thought you deserved some excitement."

"I don't know if excitement is the word I'd use. My life was a lot simpler, though, and a lot less dangerous that's for sure. Seems like I'm always dragging your butt out of trouble."

"That's because you just can't live without me."

"Ha, don't flatter yourself." Sam returned, inwardly glad things were finally getting back to normal. "Fine, I'll be there in 30."

"Great" Callen responded, happy for his victory. Finally, he was going back to work. They both hung up, and Callen walked over to the window of the rundown motel he'd been staying in. He opened the curtains to reveal the iconic Santa Monica Pier gleaming in the early morning light. As Callen observed the view, he reflected on his horrific shooting months earlier, fully aware of how close he came to dying. Secretly, he had a little hesitation to return to work, afraid that he wasn't ready. But, he wouldn't know unless he tried, so he turned around, pushed his thoughts aside, and finished getting dressed.

* * *

Outside, a small coffee vendor had positioned itself for the day's business, and Callen went over and ordered something for him and Sam to start the day off with. At the same time, Sam pulled up nearby in his Challenger and made his way over, noticing Callen's few belongings he owned packed into his bag and bedroll. Callen looked up as Sam approached.

"So, what is it this time, G? Cold showers, bed bugs..." Sam teased.

"Too noisy." Callen replied, handing Sam his coffee simultaneously.

Sam's face grew a small smile at the same stubbornness of his partner. "Last place was too quiet, the place before that was too hot."

"No, no. That place was too cold, place before that was too hot."

"You sure you're ready to come back?" Sam questioned for the second time that day, still surprised he was heading to work already.

Callen laughed a little at the comment, covering the concern with a joke like only he could. "What, are you my mother or something?"

"You could use one." Sam countered, a small grin forming as he took a sip of his coffee. Callen laughed a little more, amused by his partner's suggestion. He turned around and grabbed his bag, Sam raising the bedroll to his shoulder before he could grab it as well. Callen thanked him for the help.

"So new office, huh?" The team had shared the news about relocating OSP a couple weeks earlier.

"Yep."

"What's it like?"

"Noisy." Sam mused. Together, they headed to their new building, ready for whatever the new day would bring.


End file.
